I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important issue. I am taking this Topical Issue this evening on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who is unable to be here. I appreciate the opportunity to update Members of the Dáil on the potential dangers posed by dead trees, especially those adjacent to public roads, and the need to remove any trees at risk of falling and causing death or injury, as the Deputy has clearly outlined. With regard to this specific issue, first, I must highligh…

I do not have a specific answer for the Deputy. I think the answer is in terms of insurance but I do not have it in my response here and I do not want to put something on the record of the House that is just a gut feeling and what my understanding is without being 100% sure. Again, to go back to the original response, landowners do have the primary responsibility. The Deputy spoke about trees that are clearly dead. We are going to have a growing problem, pardon the pun, of ash dieback being present in individual as…

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the House on this issue. I send apologies on behalf of the Minister for Health who was unable to take this matter. I offer this response in his place on what I know is a very important issue for the people of Clare and the mid-west region. Haemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment. However, for dialysis patients and their loved ones, travelling to treatment several times a week for hours on end is hugely demanding. I reassure the Deputy and all patients in the mi…

The Minister for Health understands the significant improvements a new haemodialysis unit would deliver to patients in Clare. Dialysis treatment can be demanding for patients and their loved ones. As the Deputy clearly outlined, it puts significant pressure on their time and the effect is increased for those who must travel longer distances to receive the treatment. The Government remains committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to provide haemodialysis services in line with clinical advice and best prac…

I thank Deputy Buckley for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility who, unfortunately, is not able to be here. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, recently visited Midleton and the east Cork region. He had an opportunity to meet with Cork County Council and local communities and residents to discuss the flooding problems in the area and the proposed flood defence works that are planned or under way for Midleton and east Cork. The Minister of …

I thank the Deputy again for raising this. I do not underestimate the stress for everyone involved in this in the Midleton area. As outlined in my initial response, discussions are ongoing between the OPW and Cork County Council. The OPW expects those discussions to conclude within weeks. An assessment of advance works in Midleton is progressing. Advance works involve the delivery of certain elements of the main scheme in specific areas in advance of delivery of the whole scheme. An assessment of advance works is r…

I can reassure Deputy Kerrane the Department of agriculture takes the issue of animal welfare, for which it has responsibility for, extremely seriously. While we cannot reference or specifically refer to individual cases that may be before the courts or are likely to be before the courts in the future, in terms of the overall approach to welfare, we are all horrified by the scenes we saw on the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last week. I commend RTÉ on the work it did in highlighting that specific case. A very active…

The EU migration and asylum pact will shape European migration policy for the next decade. Across the world, there are more people on the move than ever before. This is being driven primarily by war, famine and persecution. As a result, we have seen an increase in the number of people seeking international protection in Ireland. This is not a situation unique to Ireland. It is reflected across Europe. Increased migration is a trend that is here to stay. As a country and a society, we have to respond to this reality…

I thank the Deputy for raising a very important topic. At any meeting with farmers the length and breadth of the country, they raise over-regulation, red tape, bureaucracy and all of the other work that takes them out of their fields and sheds and into their offices and kitchens, and all of the paperwork that goes with that. As a farmer, with my neighbours in Kildare, I know this is a source of frustration which we have to tackle nationally. There is a European element to it, obviously, but I am not going to just b…

Deputy O'Sullivan raises valid points. The thing that strikes me when he is talking is that farmers are no different from any other business people. Anybody in business will tell us they can take difficult conditions once they have certainty. If they have certainty, they know where they are at. When things change it is a source of great frustration. It is important when we talk about the CAP to reflect on its history. The first draft of the current CAP was produced in 2019. It was on foot of Brexit and Britain's 10…

I thank Senator Clonan for raising this matter. I answer this on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, who is unable to attend the Seanad today. As the Senator stated, the Department of Transport, has long exempted certain classes of airspace uses for the payment of en route air navigation charges. This arrangement derives from the exclusion of state aircraft from the scope of the 1944 Chicago Convention, which established the International Civil Aviation Organisations, ICAO. While the application of t…

I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this important issue. Under section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education programmes must be accredited by the Teaching Council for registration purposes. There are two standard routes recognised by the Teaching Council to become a primary teacher. These are a four-year undergraduate bachelor of education programme and a two-year postgraduate professional master of education programme. There are four State-funded higher education institutions, HEIs, pro…

I thank the Deputy. In answering on behalf of the Minister for Education, I apologise for not specifically referring to Cork, which was mentioned in the Deputy's question. In fairness, the answer outlined the rationale for the situation as it has existed to date. It sets out what will inform future plans for provision at primary level, as the Deputy highlighted. The key point is that the guiding principles are "that initial teacher education will be led by a small number of university-led centres of teacher educati…

I thank Senator Clonan again for raising this important point. The exemption of certain classes of flights from en route air navigation charges is a long-standing pratice, notwithstanding the specific points the Senator has made, which I will come back to. It is a long-standing practice set down in the Eurocontrol multilateral agreement, of which Ireland is a party. Ireland, in common with other Eurocontrol member states, which includes military flights in the exempt category in the interests of a safe and efficien…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all the Deputies for their contributions to the debate on road safety, the maintenance of transport infrastructure and other issues. I thank the Labour Party for tabling the motion. I welcome the opportunity to debate this important topic on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Chambers, who addressed the House earlier. In the contributions made by Deputies, as in the motion, we heard about the range of challenges and opportunities, as well as the pr…

I am happy that we have a number of hours in the House this afternoon for statements on weather-related supports for farmers throughout the country. I am mindful of the desperate plight of farmers during a very difficult winter and spring. The initial fodder support we have put in place through our co-operative system is to support the movement of fodder that is in the country from areas where there is more to areas where there is less to make sure that all can manage. As the weather improves, we will continue to m…

I too would like to welcome our friends from Estonia. It is great to have them here. I hope they learn a bit about the challenges and opportunities we face in our agriculture sector, which is so important to the Irish economy. This spring has been unlike many others. There is a saying that farmers need to be optimists or they would not still be farmers, but the optimistic streak in our farmers has most certainly been challenged this winter and spring. Farmers have been battered by the weather over recent months. In…

The Deputy paints a picture of industrialisation.

I am sure that plays well in Tallaght.

I offer this response on behalf of the Minister, who is unable to attend this morning. I thank Deputy Durkan for his ongoing interest in Castletown House. As a fellow Kildare man, I know of the huge emotion and upset there is around developments in the area around Castletown House and estate. In recent months, Deputy Durkan has made continuous representations through parliamentary questions, Topical Issues and Oireachtas committees with regard to Castletown House and estate. He, along with other elected representat…